Permanent answer & walkthrough (Pinpoint Today archive)
Pinpoint Answer Today asks: what links Pel\u00e9, Messi, Decathlon, Perfect score (sometimes), and X (when counting in Rome) — and what story do they share? Follow the spoiler-safe hints one by one, then reveal the final connection and see how each clue fits together.
Pel\u00e9 Messi Decathlon Perfect score (sometimes) — What connects Pel\u00e9, Messi, Decathlon, Perfect score (sometimes)?
LinkedIn Pinpoint #548 Answer:
Detailed breakdown continues just below - keep scrolling
Seeing Pelé and Messi back-to-back in today’s Pinpoint felt like a welcome gift. My brain immediately started connecting soccer stars and their famous number 10 jerseys. It seemed like a straightforward, classic sports puzzle. But then the clues took a sharp turn with Decathlon, and suddenly the connection wasn’t so obvious anymore, forcing me to look beyond the pitch.
Pelu00e9 and Messi both represent the iconic number 10 jersey. Decathlon literally translates to ten events. A perfect score often caps out at ten, and the Roman numeral X is also ten. Every clue speaks the language of tens, so the theme Things associated with the number 10 becomes unavoidable.
Famous athletes
This seems logical at first, as Pelé and Messi are two of the most famous athletes in history. However, 'Decathlon' is an event, not a person, and 'Perfect score' and 'X' are abstract concepts, so the theme breaks on three of the five clues.
Soccer terms
This theory works for Pelé and Messi but immediately falls apart with 'Decathlon,' which is from track and field. The connection collapses because the clues come from different domains.
Things with a perfect rating
One might argue that Pelé and Messi are perfect players and a decathlon is a perfect test of an athlete. This idea is supported by 'Perfect score,' but it completely fails to explain 'X (when counting in Rome),' making it an incorrect connector.
| Word | Origin | In Context (Usage) | Meaning & Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelé | — | “Number 10” | Pelé is almost synonymous with the number 10, which he wore for much of his legendary career with Brazil and Santos FC, popularizing it as the number for a team's primary playmaker. |
| Messi | — | “Number 10” | Lionel Messi has worn the iconic number 10 shirt for FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team, directly inheriting the legacy of great playmakers like Pelé. |
| Decathlon | — | “Ten events” | A decathlon is a combined athletic event comprising ten different track and field disciplines. The prefix 'deca-' literally means ten. |
| Perfect score (sometimes) | — | “A 10.0 score” | In sports like gymnastics, diving, or figure skating, the highest possible score, representing a flawless performance, is often a 10.0. |
| X (when counting in Rome) | — | “Roman numeral for 10” | X is the Roman numeral used to represent the number ten. 'When counting in Rome' is a clever way to hint at Roman numerals. |
Don't get trapped by the first category
This puzzle masterfully uses the 'soccer players' category as bait. Learning to see when a strong initial connection is a hint rather than the final answer is key to avoiding these traps.
Let the odd clue guide you
When a clue like 'Decathlon' feels wildly out of place, don't ignore it. That's your brain's signal to abandon the current theory and find a connection that can accommodate the outlier.
Look for a simpler, underlying structure
Sometimes the most obvious connection is a red herring. The real answer is often a more fundamental, abstract pattern that links all the seemingly disparate clues.
The connector is 'Things associated with the number 10.' Pelé and Messi wore the number 10 jersey, a decathlon has ten events, and X is the Roman numeral for 10.
While Pelé and Messi are famous athletes, the clue 'Decathlon' refers to an event, not a person, and 'Perfect score' and 'X' are abstract concepts, which breaks the theme.
Yes, that's exactly right! A 'Perfect score' of 10.0 is famous in gymnastics. It's one of the many examples of how the number 10 is used to represent the pinnacle of achievement.
Pay close attention to the clue that feels most out of place. It's often the key that unlocks the real theme. Stress-test your first theory against the most unusual clue to see if it truly holds up.
